ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ ﳇ
And when a messenger from Allah came to them confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been given the Scripture threw the Scripture of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know [what it contained].
Tafsir
Verse range: 2:99-101
"Except the disobedient (al-fāsiqūn)" They are the rebellious among the disbelievers. Al-Hasan stated: When the term fisq (disobedience) is used for a category of sins, it applies to the most grave of that category, such as disbelief and others.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Ibn Suriya said to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "You have not brought us anything we recognize, and no sign has been revealed to you that we should follow." Thus, this verse was revealed.
The lām (definite article) in "al-fāsiqūn" is for the generic class, though it is better interpreted as a reference to the People of the Scripture.
"Or is it that every time..." The wāw (and) is a conjunction for an omitted clause, meaning: "Do they disbelieve in the clear signs, and every time they make a covenant...?" Abu al-Summal read it with a quiescent wāw, interpreting al-fāsiqūn as "those who have disobeyed." It is as if it were said: "None disbelieve in them except those who have disobeyed," or those who have broken the covenant of Allah many times.
It has been read as ‘ūhidū (they were covenanted) and ‘āhadū (they covenanted). The Jews are marked by treachery and the breaking of covenants. How often did Allah take a covenant from them and their forefathers, yet they broke it? How often did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) make a covenant with them, yet they did not fulfill it? As in: "Those with whom you made a covenant, then they break their covenant in every instance" (Al-Anfal: 56).
Al-nabdh (casting aside) means throwing away the obligation and rejecting it. Abdullah read it as naqdahu (breaking it).
"A party of them" It says "a party of them" because there were some among them who did not break the covenant.
"But most of them do not believe" They do not believe in the Torah, nor are they upon any religion; thus, they do not consider breaking covenants a sin, nor do they care about it.
"The Book of Allah" Meaning the Torah, because by their disbelief in the Messenger of Allah—who confirms what is with them—they are disbelievers in it and have cast it aside. It is also said that "the Book of Allah" refers to the Quran, which they cast aside after it became incumbent upon them to accept it.
"As if they do not know" That it is the Book of Allah, leaving no room for doubt. This means their knowledge of it is firm, yet they acted with arrogance and obstinacy. They cast it behind their backs; this is a metaphor for their abandonment and turning away from it, like one who throws something behind their back because they have no need for it and pay it no attention.
Al-Sha‘bi said: It is right before them, they read it, but they have cast aside acting upon it.
Sufyan said: They wrapped it in silk and brocade and adorned it with gold, yet they did not permit what it permitted, nor did they forbid what it forbade.
